Most mold problems begin as very
small
spots and after time become a raging jungle of mold and mold spores
that infiltrate your entire home and create a toxic environment for all
who live within. Usually these very small starts are not even noticed.
In fact a mold problem could be huge before it begins to get your
attention. Unfortunately your attention probably doesn't fall on the
mold problem until you are already experiencing illness.

Often times I get asked if I think mold causes cancer and I can not
give a definitive yes because there are so many factors that are
involved; however, I truly believe that mold does help cancer get it's
foothold on someone. The reason is that a mold problem usually exists
for a long period of time. Over time the mold begins to be a problem
for your immune system. I absolutely believe that with a health immune
system that is not under attack that a person has a better chance of
not contracting cancer or any other disease. So, in my opinion, mold
problems can help lead to cancer.

I had a new roof put on the house about 10 years ago. Within two years
we began getting water seapage through our chimney. I worked on trying
to figure out where the water was coming from for a year. I even had
the chimney rebuilt. The following spring brought more water. Finally I
took the hose up on the roof and just let it run while my wife kept
watch near the fireplace. When she yelled that it was coming in I had a
pretty good localized spot that was my problem. It was a valley that
was near the chimney. I got a caulking gun and went to work. That
cleared up the problem.

I had isolated the problem, I had cut off the moisture, and now I had
to get rid of the mold problem. So we simply built a fire for several
nights to burn as much of it off as we could. It's a gas fireplace so I
didn't have to worry about wet wood. So the mold problem was a little
easier than most to clean up.

Presently we were just introduced to a new water leak in the roof. It
drips over the kitchen sink and a few weeks ago I spotted a little dark
mold area in another area of the ceiling. It's our other chimney. I
went up into the attic during the day but kept the light off. I saw
some light near the chimney. I believe a roof cap shingle might have
been torn off during the winter. Or it could be the big earth quake of
the midwest near Dekalb, IL about a month ago. But now I have to get up
on the roof and stop the leak.

Once the leak is stopped, I'll have to wait a few weeks and then go up
into the attic to see what kind of mold damage there might be. The
water marks were on the decking and joists. Obviously it made its way
underneath the pink insulation an into the drywall. I'll have to pull
up the insulation and decide whether to knock that section out and
replace it or see if it can be salvaged. It isn't a big area but it
still must be done.

Then once that is done I think I may have a leaky basement window that
is letting some water into the basement. Again, I'll seal it up, dry it
up, clean it up and keep an eye on it. So just over this last winter, I
have two mold problems that need attention before they get out of
control.

For
more links and a site map click the home button (above-left) and be
introduced to all kinds of information concerning black mold and its
effects on our lives.